Program Manager – KIPP Academy Nashville

Communities in Schools of Tennessee

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Job Summary

This posting is for a Program Manager position at KIPP Academy Nashville in Nashville, TN.  Our administrative office is on Vanderbilt’s campus, but the program managers will be assigned to and work from their school.

Communities In Schools of Tennessee (CIS-TN) is a nonprofit that partners with K-12 public schools to surround students with a community of support empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life.

 As part of the CIS national network, CIS-TN achieves this mission by placing program managers in schools across the state to provide school-wide interventions and case-managed services for students in need.

 To best support the students, families, schools, community partners, and our staff members involved in this work, CIS-TN staff and board members center all decisions, actions, and services on the following core values:

• Integrity – We openly share how our work is done, and we hold ourselves accountable to the commitments we make.
• Empathy – We intentionally build relationships so we can learn about people’s stories, validate their experiences, and deepen our understanding of situations different from our own.
• Equity – We identify and work towards removing individual and systemic barriers so everyone has the same opportunity to achieve.
• Authenticity – We create space for the people we work with, and for, them to be their truthful, complete selves without judgment.

Collaboration – We bring people together to plan and take action in our work, understanding we make lasting change in partnership with one another

Job Responsibilities

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

Program Managers provide direct services to students by implementing social work, counseling, youth development, and resource development practices. In this role, the program coordinator develops meaningful and long-lasting relationships with students and their families, advocates for their needs, connects families to needed community services, and develops programming tailored to the needs of the school community.

Program Manager reports to a Program Director.   

The Program Manager will:

• Engage a school support team that works closely with school administrators, staff, and teachers in the implementation of the CIS model. The team may include other CIS employees, volunteers, school staff or faculty, and/or other community partners.  This process will include the building and nurturing of school staff relations, relationships with the school and community, and the engagement of volunteers for the delivery of services.
• Lead the annual needs assessment process. This process will be based on data collected by school districts and schools as part of overall school improvement plans, surveys and discussions with staff, parents, and students, and evaluation results from the previous year.  The goal is to identify gaps in services that can prevent issues such as chronic absenteeism, social-emotional learning/behavioral challenges, student and family disengagement, etc.    
• Develop and implement a school support plan.  Program managers write a plan of services they will provide for the school year that addresses the gaps identified in the needs assessment. This plan is written in coordination with the school support team and school principal. Program managers ensure all services identified in the school support plan are delivered throughout the school year and are associated with measurable objectives. Services include school-wide services available to all students (Tier I), small group services (Tier II), and intensive, individualized services (Tier III). Where appropriate, the program manager brings in outside partners to provide services identified in the school support plan.
• Provide case management. Program managers recruit 10% of enrolled students (up to 50 students) who need more intensive support to case manage throughout the school year. These students receive Tier II and Tier III services tailored to their individual needs and will often include a high level of interaction/engagement with the student’s family members, including home visits.
• Include community partners and volunteers. Program managers will build relationships with outside partners to provide services identified in the school support plan, where appropriate. Outside partners could include other nonprofit or community agencies that provide services inside the school or serve as referral sources, individuals who volunteer with individual students or on school projects, or local churches/neighborhood associations to provide in-kind donations, among others.
• Manage an annual budget. Every program manager is provided with a discretionary supply budget to purchase materials related to their school support plan. Program managers write their budgets every school year and manage their spending on their budgets.
• Monitor and adjust services. The program manager will lead the school support team in regularly monitoring and adjusting services from the school support plan as needed to maximize effectiveness and impact.
• Manage data entry. The program manager will use the CIS National database to enter data about the spectrum of services provided, including profiles for all case-managed students, as well as provide regular updates on progress toward school and student goals. Program managers will access their school district’s student information system (SIS) to monitor student progress and pull data.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of achieving school and student individualized goals. The program manager will lead the school support team in implementing a systematic data collection plan to evaluate the effectiveness of services in achieving school-wide goals and addressing the needs of individual students.
• Prepare regular reporting. Monthly, quarterly, and end-of-year reports will be provided to school and affiliate leadership which are instrumental in planning services for the following year, as well as contributing to affiliate-level reports for partners, the state office (if appropriate), and the Communities In Schools national office
• Operate with equity. Applies a clear understanding of racial inequities and other forms of discrimination, and demonstrates a willingness to operate from an anti-oppression model to all aspects of the work

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

The statements contained herein describe the scope of the responsibility and essential functions of this position, but should not be considered to be an all-inclusive listing of work requirements. Individuals may perform other duties as assigned including work in other areas to cover absences or relief to equalize peak work periods or otherwise balance the workload.  Other duties may be assigned by the CEO, chief program officer, or program manager as required.

Qualifications

The core competencies of program managers include, but are not limited to:  

• Delivery of one-on-one, small group, and school-wide interventions: Identifies needs at all three of these levels and appropriately tailors services to meet the needs of various groupings or individual students by using student/family voice, evidence-based programs, and routine evaluation to inform service delivery. 
• Partnership development: Establish partnerships with external organizations that provide services or other items directly related to the school support plan/student and family needs.  
• Administrative functions: Navigate various internal systems including team files, software, and databases with minimal intervention from management staff and consistently complete data entry and reporting thoroughly and on time.  
• Time management and planning: Appropriately prioritizes workload and attends to a broad range of activities, tracks all activities by scoping out the length and difficulty of tasks and projects; sets objectives and goals for projects; breaks down work into the process steps; develops schedules and task/people assignments; anticipates and adjusts for problems and roadblocks; and measures performance against goals and evaluates results.
• Decision-making and problem-solving: Break problems into their component parts; identify underlying causes, consult appropriate resources, and analyze available data to make informed, logical decisions. Takes accountability for decisions and makes decisions in a timely manner.
• Relationship building: Develops and maintains positive relationships with external stakeholders, (including principals, school staff, and community partners) to ensure programs are meeting the community need and to increase exposure and trust of CIS-TN

EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE

Bachelor’s degree in social work, counseling, youth development, education, or a related field, with a preference for a master’s degree in social work or counseling.

Must have a valid driver’s license and automobile insurance to drive for business-related reasons, including transporting clients.

Candidates in the current pursuit of a Bachelor’s degree are encouraged to apply and will be considered.

DIVERSITY & EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

CIS-TN actively seeks to diversify its staff and encourages candidates of historically underrepresented populations to apply for this position, including but not limited to, those identifying as Black/African American, Indigenous/Native, Hispanic/Latinx, Asian, Middle Eastern, and other people of color; LGBTQ+ candidates; and candidates with disabilities.

CIS-TN is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

 LANGUAGE SKILLS

Conversational to professional fluency in Spanish, Arabic, Kurdish, Somali, and/or Swahili is preferred

Additional Information

Benefits

How to Apply

Please submit your application by Wednesday, October 4, 2023, and visit www.cistn.org/careers. A criminal background check is required for any candidates who are offered a position with CIS-TN and will be administered after an offer for employment is made. Criminal background histories will not automatically remove a candidate from consideration and will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, depending on the position, criminal history, time, etc.

Details

• Date Posted: September 29, 2023
• Type: Full-Time
• Job Function: Programs and Service Delivery
• Service Area: Children / Youth